Oil Screen Question

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My mechanic suggested that I consider upgrading to a spin-on oil filter from the oil screen that is currently installed on my IO-470-F. Does anyone know if this upgrade is recommended in a 260se/182P?

[n2099x]

I would bet that most 260se's have screw on oil filters. I think it's a good recommendation. Personally I like the factory adapter, it goes in the oil screen hole and doesn't require any external oil lines. (Less weight no fittings or lines) Your mechanic can easliy find the part number. You can get them from TCM or Cessna I believe they both have a part # for them.

Hope this helps, Glen

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Glen,

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was strange that my newly purchased 260se didn't have an oil filter, but that's what the mechanic said.

He recommended the following :

F&M Link: (http://www.fm-enterprises.com/product.html)

Does anyone know if this is an option that Todd installs during the upgrade process? If you have one that fits inside your cowling, I'd think I could get one to fit also? Perhaps someone else has experience with this upgrade, or knows what STC'd upgrades are suitable for 260se's? Meanwhile, I'll check into the factory adapter.

[kwmoore]

Todd installed the adapter and filter as an option on my 2nd 260se at my request. The adapter was not cheap, several hundred $ as I recall.

The engine comes with an oil screen as standard equipment--seems kind of stone-age to me.

[nworth]

The engine comes from the factory without an oil filter. Stone age it is, but the argument, according to Todd, is this eliminates the (remote) possibility of the nut at the filter top or the filter adaptor itself, from failing. Both have failed in the past, with rapid oil loss and catastrophic engine stoppage the result.

May I suggest that Continental both reduces their cost and, possibly, some legal exposure by not including the filter as standard equipment and thereby justifies what might reasonably be seen as serious omission.

That said, Todd has an oil filter in his own plane and he will happily install one in yours. Just ask.

[n2099x]

I believe there is a service bulletin or maybe even an AD that says to check the oil filter adapter nut at annual, not a bad idea in my opinon.

Glen

[kentgreer]

I am in the process of having a filter mounted on the firewall[ lower right side] and an Airwolf air/oil seperator [top center] along with K&N air filter and iridium plugs

[Todd Peterson]

In this day and age, along with the cost of a new engine, I also find it unusual that a TCM engine comes with a screen. With that said in the past more often than not an engine with a screen makes TBO just as easy as one with an oil filter.

Normally we use a Cessna oil filter adaptor (I think, Jo normally takes care of this). There is a short adaptor and a long adaptor, we use the long one. The large nut that secures the adaptor to the accessory case is then torqued, safety wired and torque putty is applied. Done right this is normally a good adaptor that has minimal problems. Unfortuanately in the field it is sometimes improperly installed or serviced and major problems can result. I had a 260SE in here for an annual with this type of adaptor and I was changing the oil filter. When I finished safety wiring the oil filter I gave the safety wire pliers a little pull to complete the installation and the entire adaptor broke free and started to rotate. Not a good thing. It turned out a large shop had previously replaced the o ring that rides below the securing nut and had improperly torqued the nut back down. It was further complicated by the fact they failed to safety wire the securing nut to the engine, rather they safety wired to nut to the adaptor itself. This allowed the entire assembly to rotate. Needless to say if this had happened in flight, which it would have in short order, oil pressure would have been lost. Good maintenance of this adaptor is important.

One of the things I like about this oil filter adaptor is that the oil filter can be changed without having to remove the lower cowl. It also creates a minimal mess.

I know some of our owners have remote filters and I don't recall any of them being unhappy with their installations. It comes down to personal preference and whatever you are happy with is good.